Hundreds of voters from the Bamboo Town, Pinewood Gardens and South Beach constituencies yesterday showed up at CV Bethel High School to cast their ballots at the advanced poll not knowing that they were walking into a wait that would last hours.
Bamboo Town and Pinewood Gardens both had only one room available for voters while South Beach had two rooms, resulting in long lines, frustration and verbal altercations between some voters.
Long after officials closed the doors on South Beach and Bamboo Town’s rooms and those voters finally exited the school, Pinewood Gardens constituents were left behind still waiting to vote well past 9 p.m., with the last voter casting their ballot just before 10 p.m.
Polls officially closed at CV Bethel at 6:11 p.m. Those on the line after 6 were still eligible to vote.
Seventy-four-year-old Matilda Walters said yesterday she’d been waiting for two hours on the line for the Pinewood constituency before she decided to call her daughter to pick her up.
While sitting in a chair, Walters said the long wait resulted in her feet becoming swollen and painful.
“They need to have more places available for this because advanced voting doesn’t mean we won’t have a large turnout because not everyone wants to go to the poll on the 12,” Walters said.
She said she would attempt to return on election day.
But another Pinewood resident named Prose said though he was disappointed in the lack of organization, he would stick it out.
“It’s just a long line,” Prose said.
“Seems that they probably only have one room inside there with thousands of people on the line.
“It’s hot.
“And so what they need to do is have multiple rooms so the process could be faster.”
He said, “I would encourage people to come out and vote, but….my wife been out here from 9:30 a.m., she didn’t get to vote until 3 p.m.
“That’s like six hours. That’s ridiculous. So, the process gotta be smoother.
“If I leave that means I ain’t gonna vote because I ain’t coming out on the 12. So I’ll stick it out and vote.”
He shared that he also has a disability preventing him from standing for long periods of time and suggested for officials to organize separate lines for the elderly and the disabled.
“And as you can see right now, it’s probably 7:30 p.m., and we still have a long line, we still have a 45 to an hour wait which is ridiculous,” Prose said.
“I thought the advanced poll was in and out, this is my first time, and boy I wouldn’t do this again. I wouldn’t make this mistake.”
He added, “I have a little bit of a disability because I have pain in my feet, I can’t stand long so I decided to come out and thought it would’ve been quicker, but my mistake.
“It’s really been a long time.”
One voter, who wished to remain anonymous due to her profession, said though she was exhausted, she refused to leave the polling station until her vote was cast.
“I think it’s very unorganized, mainly because there are three constituencies, two of which only have one classroom,” she said.
“Only one constituency had two classrooms, and when we come in, I realized why they always called for persons in that area.
“It’s because they had more than one classroom. So don’t mind me, sounding very professional and extremely tired.”
She continued, “I shall not leave.
“I was here too long. I’m voting today.”
Due to the long wait times and the high temperatures, someone was also escorted away via ambulance.
At around 2 p.m., Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman Dr. Duane Sands said a little under 200 out of the 1,200 people who registered to vote in the advanced poll in Bamboo Town had already voted.
Coalition of Independents (COI) leader and Pinewood Gardens candidate Lincoln Bain reiterated the complaints of voters.
Bain stated that the two major problems that plagued the polling station were insufficient polling rooms and a lack of accommodations for the elderly and the disabled.
While he said he was pleased that there was camaraderie between party candidates and supporters, he felt the process could have been planned better.
“The real thing that we were worried about today was the health and safety of the elderly,” Bain said.
“My God, this should have never happened in our country and this cannot be allowed to happen again. This is not just to criticize, but I have to speak out for them.”
He continued, “What the elderly went through today was uncalled for. Persons left here in ambulances. Persons left here and said that they’re just not going to vote.
“Some said they’re going to try again on May 12, but if it’s like this, they’re just not going to vote.
“So elderly were disenfranchised today, and there were persons who fell out, collapsed…and had to be rushed out in an ambulance.”
Bain said that the process was also slowed down by officials only allowing people in to vote one at a time.
He said he believes hundreds of voters were turned away due to the long wait times.
Just after 10 p.m., officials began to move the ballot boxes to their final destination at the commissioner’s office at Police Headquarters.
Though he acknowledged the long process, FNM Senator Darren Henfield encouraged Bahamians to continue to vote.
“We got to tell voters, I want to say that everyone in The Bahamas is eligible to vote,” Henfield said.
“Your country, it needs your vote. You need to be able to participate in this democratic process and whatever it takes for you to do so, do not be discouraged.
“Come out and mark your ‘X’ to the party of your choice. The sovereignty of The Bahamas depends on it. Your future and the future of your children.
“And so that vote is so important that you sometimes have to brave the elements.
“Sometimes you have to go through nightmares in order to cast a vote.”
